Roulette Basics

Roulette is a game of chance played by millions of happy players in Casinos around the world. A basic description of the roulette game is this: A croupier spins a numbered wheel and drops a ball into the vortex. Players standing around a roulette table that’s marked with numbers that match the wheel, numbers but are in a different layout, try to guess which number the ball will land on when the roulette wheel stops spinning. Sounds like a need for some roulette strategy here!

That’s the basic premise of the game: to pick a number, zero to 36, red or black or odd or even, high or low.

These are the steps:

• Buy your chips from the croupier.
  
  
• Place your bet.
  You can choose to bet on any number from 0 to 36; on ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ bets, and you can bet one chip or a hundred. Depending on roulette table limits.
  
  
• The croupier spins the wheel then generally spins the ball in the opposite direction around the wheel rim.
  Just before the ball slows to drop into the slot, the croupier will call ‘no more bets’. From then on, you won’t be able to add to or change your bet.
  
  
• The croupier will call the winning number.
  For example, ‘32, red, even’. This indicates the number, the colour of the slot the ball has landed in, and whether it is an odd or even number. As well as being called verbally, the number usually appears on an electronic ‘scoreboard’ known as a roulette ‘marquee’.
  
  
• The croupier will place a ‘dolly’ on the winning number. The dolly is a marker that stays in place until all winning bets are paid. The croupier will clear away the losing bets, and pay the winners.
  
  
• Once the dolly is removed you can place your new bet.
  
  
• Cash in your coloured chips before leaving the table.
  

Roulette is that simple. Pick the winning number, and as well as having a heap of fun, there’s the opportunity for big returns.



The Roulette Wheel

The Roulette wheel is made up two parts: an unmoving bowl and the inner wheel with the numbers that spins. The croupier sets the roulette wheel in motion and then sends the small ball, which was traditionally made of ivory but is now almost universally plastic, spinning around the static part of the wheel, under a lip that overhangs the edge. The ball, which is about ½ inch (12mm) in diameter, travels in the opposite direction from the wheel. As the ball slows, it falls across a sloping lip towards the spinning wheel. On its way, it may hit small metal buffers, which are set in the lip to ensure that the ball falls in a random way.

When the ball reaches the roulette wheel, it may hit one of the metal frets between the numbers and bounce off, but after a few moments it will land in one of the numbered pockets.

If you look closely at the roulette wheel, you will see that is has been carefully designed. It is:

• Divided into red and black compartments that are alternately, but not sequentially, numbered from 1 to 36.
  
  
• European roulette wheels have a single zero ‘0’ compartment, while American roulette wheels have both a single ‘0’ and double ‘00’.
  
  
• Where both the ‘0’ and ‘00’ are used they sit opposite each other on the roulette wheel.
  
  
• All other numbers alternate red and black around the roulette wheel.
  
  
• Directly opposite each odd number is the next highest even number.
  
  
• Pairs of odd numbers along with pairs of even numbers are found alternately around the roulette wheel.

European Roulette Wheel

American Roulette Wheel

Becoming familiar with the roulette wheel layout is one of the keys to playing roulette well, to gaining an ‘edge’ over the house.

Roulette Table Layout

The Roulette table is marked into a grid of coloured and numbered spaces to correspond with the colours and numbers of the wheel compartments. The layout allows for different kinds of betting: i.e. individual numbers and groups of numbers bets.

In the illustrations below, you will see the numbers 1- 36 are in a 3x12 grid, with the zeros positioned by the 1-3 ‘street’.

Outside the numbers are squares marked ‘1st 12, 2nd 12 and 3rd 12; these are to cover the ‘dozens’ from 1-12, 13-24, and 25-36 respectively.

You will also see ‘2-1’ against the numbers 34, 35, 36. These squares are to allow betting on the adjacent columns of numbers.

Odds/Evens, Black/Red, High/Low bets are all available too.

Bets made on the numbers 0 to 36 are known as ‘inside bets’ while the bets covering groups of 12 or 18 numbers (e.g. red, odd, etc.) are known as ‘outside bets’.

European Roulette Table

American Roulette Table

Roulette Touch Screen Terminals

While all casinos use traditional roulette tables, many are now shifting toward ‘Touch Screen Roulette’ (also known as ‘touchbet’) technology. What this allows players to do is sit in comfort at their own ‘terminal’, and to get their bets on without the distraction of pushing and shoving crowds. Casinos like roulette touch screens because many more players can play at each roulette table than with traditional set up. Better returns for the casino!

How it works:

Real roulette wheels spun by live croupiers are used in touch screen roulette betting: the principles of the game are the same as for a traditional roulette table, but the live play touch screen set-up uses:
• Touch screen roulette betting terminals for the players.
  
  
• A live game roulette table with croupier who spins the wheel and calls the winner number.
  
  
• A camera positioned above the live roulette wheel transmits the live action to your terminal. When the ball drops into the wheel, two sensor-heads detect the winning number, which is then transmitted to your terminal.
  
  
• The wheel and table images are projected live on two large screen displays. Players view these large screen displays whilst wagering on the touch screen roulette terminals, which simulate the betting area of a live game roulette table.

This system is enjoying substantial popularity because it is a live table roulette game and its results are determined by the wheel, not an electronic random number generator.



How to play touch screen roulette

While the principles of play are the same as for standard roulette tables, the mechanics of playing are a little different. A touchscreen terminal is a terminal (TV Screen) through which a live roulette game can be accessed. This means that you the player, can enjoy the excitement of a roulette game, in comfort, in front of your own terminal. The terminal replicates the roulette table layout and a ‘touchscreen’ allows you to place your bets just like putting chips on a table. To play touch screen roulette, you:
• Take a seat at a free roulette terminal. The screen will display the roulette table layout, and a bets/no more bets alert, a ‘previous bet’ command, and an information spot. You can touch ‘information’ to call up the previous spins, and to check where bets can be placed and the roulette table minimum and maximum.
  
  
• Buy in by inserting notes into the terminal note acceptor cash input area. Your credits (chips) are automatically displayed on your touchscreen.
  
  
• When ‘place your bets’ shows on your screen, simply touch the number (you can place combination bets just like the real roulette table) or any of the outside bets on screen where you want to place you chips - one touch for one chip, two for two chips etc.
  
  
• The value of chips you have staked is deducted from your credits.
  
  
• All terminals are ‘locked out’ when ‘no more bets’ highlights on the screen. You may not then change, add or remove chips for that spin.
  
  
• As the ball lands, the winning number highlights in blue on your screen and winning bets are paid out.
  
  
• Your winnings are shown in the ‘Win box’ on your terminal and then added to your credits.
  
  
• To collect your winnings, press ‘Cash’ on your terminal and the console will print out a receipt for you to exchange for cash at the Cashiers.

Because there is no need to physically handle chips or money, the action can be fast and furious at a touch screen terminal. It often depends on the roulette dealer working the roulette wheel at the time.

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